In her own words, Dr. Yulia Ovchinnikova, founder of OpenHub, Hudson Valley’s tech hub, tells the history of solutions that transformed the digital divide in Russia.
She also talks about language and cultural accessibility issues between English and other alphabets and languages online.
How many tech hub founders can speak first-hand of their experience in this category? OpenHub has a valuable and unique perspective to strategize solutions for the digital divide in the Hudson Valley!
Successful programs such as after Newburgh Girls Can Code Club, an after school program and Google-certified IT Support bootcamps have encouraged OpenHub to take their collaborations with libraries, school districts, BOCES, SUNY and NYS workforce development one step further.
Introducing OpenHub’s newest endeavor:
Please be a part of our vision for a Strong and Accessible Tech-Driven Economy for the Hudson Valley!
Sign up to receive updates as we grow our project week-by-week to connect with everyone in the Hudson Valley that supports an inclusive and thriving tech-driven economic future!
Which tech is right for your business? Which form will it take? Who is a trustworthy source for information and resources? Where to get retrained? With what does one start? An existing platform? Purchasing Software? Investing in Hardware? Retraining staff? All of the above?
Please join us Thursday July 30, 2020 6:00 – 7:00 pm
“Data-Driven Hudson Valley:How Data Can Empower your Hudson Valley Business”
featuring Dr. Cynthia Marcello, Data Engineer and Data Small Business Specialist
“In many cases, business owners or managers feel powerless when it comes to technology. There is confusion around data and the availability of powerful and affordable solutions for Small and Medium Business owners.”
Dr. Cynthia Marcello, Data Engineer and Data Small Business Specialist
This episode will feature guidance and solutions for Small and Medium Business owners, SMB’s. Dr. Marcello will demystify what it means to be ‘data-driven’, what is ‘open data’, and available and solutions for SMB’s. Dr. Marcello uses a ‘one-step-at-a-time’ approach, a model that allows SMB’s to experience small successes along the way to build efficacy for the long term.
About Pivoteers 2.0:
Pivoteers 2.0 is a webisode series that empowers Hudson Valley businesses to exchange ideas about how technology can improve our existing operations. Tech may be driving our futures, but businesses need tech that is accessible financially, with short learning curves, and smooth on-boarding.
Open Hub is an open eco-system resource center, committed to building a tech-sector in the Hudson Valley. Partnering with stakeholders, businesses and talent we promote, train and facilitate towards the growth of a thriving tech-driven economy.
Open Hub is happy to produce Pivoteers 2.0 our investigation to discover Pivoteers for the HVTechFest in October, 2020 and as our way of supporting the economic recovery of the entire Hudson Valley.
After completing our 5 part series: Pivoteers & Pioneers: Technology Enabled Recovery in the Age of Social Distancing, we are taking what we have learned and applying it to a reboot of our series.
The same great theme.
New name: Pivoteers 2.0
New day: Every other Thursday
First episode Thursday, July 30
New time: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm instead of 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Every other episode – 1x/month – Tech in Education series, with panel discussions with a diverse array of education professionals.
Every other episode – 1x/month – featuring OpenHub’s tech professional community members.
Become a featured guest! A call for submitting for new talks will be announced soon.
Proposed themes:
Data, Open Data, Data driven culture
Cyber-Security, AI, Robotics, Coding, IT, WebDev
Local tech businesses and local uses of tech in traditional businesses
Who is Pivoteers 2.0 for?
Small and Medium Business Owners who want to grow using tech.
Emerging and professional tech-talent who want to be part of Hudson Valley’s tech community
Forward-thinking Local stakeholders believe in a strong and accessible tech-driven economy in the Hudson Valley is possible!
On Friday, July 10, 2020, OpenHub livestreamed its 5th episode of its webisode series Pivoteers & Pioneers: Tech-Enabled Recovery in the Age of Social Distancing.
The theme was Rethinking Remote Education: Maintaining Relationship and Engagement while Socially Distant.
Our esteemed moderator is also the Hudson Valley Director for NYSCATE and OpenHub’s HVTechFest Hackathon Leader.
Featuring a diverse panel of education professionals, the event was moderated by Dr. Andrea Tejedor, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction & Technology at Highland Falls – Fort Montgomery School District.
Invited were representatives from CoSchools, Afterschool Programming, Community Colleges and Universities, Workforce Development as well as public and private school systems.
Andrea Tejedor opened with an introduction to the theme:
How do we support students as we move from physical, ‘brick & mortar’ schools that have been around for over a hundred years when suddenly, on March 13, 2020, educators we were asked to make the switch to a remote setting overnight?
Dr. Andrea Tejedor
Tejedor pointed to challenges that arose in the digital setting such as all teaching content and classrooms were online, inter-professional and staff communication and meetings were online, all schedules and announcements were online. And without any training to get everyone up to speed.
“This was further illustrated by the misconception that our youth are ‘digital natives,’ as if they are whizzes at all things tech. What quickly became apparent is that students know what they know, but they do not know it all and they need instruction and guidance to get up to speed,” Tejedor reported.
“Tech is a tool, not a teacher. If we look at the pivot we had to make as education professionals, how did we help learning progress for our students? For example, many of us discovered that to learn with technology, students need guidance, reassurance and scaffolding that teachers provide,” said Tejedor.
“Lastly, the transition to digital learning gave us a deeper and clearer understanding of what the Digital Divide means in the Hudson Valley. And the serious impediments to learning and participation that inequity can cause.”
We would also like to thank the following panelists who participated:
Elizabeth Thomas-Cappello – Computer Science educator at Newburgh Free Academy, Newburgh, NY; Early College High School, partnership program with Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY; Adjunct Professor, Mt. St. Mary College, Newburgh, NY
Sonya Abbye Taylor, Ed.D. – Associate Professor of Education, Mt. St. Mary College, Newburgh, NY; Director of Professional Development and Curriculum at Bishop Dunn Memorial School, NY
Ludmila Smirnova – Professor of Education, Mt. St. Mary College, Newburgh, NY
David Czechowski – Computer Science Teacher at F.D. Roosevelt High School, Hyde Park, NY; Founding a Computer Science Teacher Association in the Hudson Valley
Meg Käufer – President of the STEM Alliance of Larchmont-Mamaroneck, Nonprofit learning center dedicated to enhancing K-12 STEM education for LMI students
“The idea of connection was very important to us from the beginning. Although It felt like a natural instinct that technology would be a great tool for connection as we went to leverage that, we encountered that many of families in our community were struggling. Some parents have even felt humiliated for not being able to help their children with their homework. What we found is that it is through strong relationships, often one-on-one, that create digital resilience and grit, that allow communities to push forward, especially with something so new and not intuitive. Because of this, all of our programs have been deeply based in relationships in order to get families to digital resilience.” –
Meg Käufer, President of the STEM Alliance of Larchmont-Mamaroneck
Please leave a comment and let us know what you think!
Please join us Friday, July 31, 2020 at 3:00 pm for our next episode:
Data-Driven Hudson Valley: How Data Can Power Hudson Valley Businesses
featuring Dr. Cynthia Marcello, Data Engineer and Data Small Business Specialist
In many cases, business owners or managers feel powerless when it comes to technology. There is confusion around data and the availability of powerful and affordable solutions for Small and Medium Business owners.
-Dr. Cynthia Marcello, Data Engineer and Data Small Business Specialist
This episode will feature guidance and solutions for Small and Medium Business owners, SMB’s. Dr. Marcello will demystify and what it means to be data-driven, what is ‘open data’ and what a data-driven culture is, and the affordable and available solutions for SMB’s. Dr. Marcello uses a ‘one-step-at-a-time’ approach, a model that allows SMB’s to experience small successes along the way to build efficacy for the long term.
